Laptop Requirement

All incoming Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts freshmen and transfer students are required to have an Apple® MacBook Pro laptop computer. Incoming Interactive Media majors are required to have the 15- inch MacBook Pro. All other Slane College majors must have a MacBook Pro that meets the minimum technical specifications below. Incoming freshmen who already own an older Mac laptop may opt to continue using it freshman year before upgrading.

A note on storage: Solid-state drives are ultra-fast replacements for standard hard drives and can be had as an option in most of Apple’s computer lineup. They have no moving parts and while not impervious to crashing, they are much less likely to have catastrophic data loss during the lifetime of the computer. However, solid-state drives are more expensive and have smaller capacities. A 128GB solid-state drive offers enough space for the operating system, software, along with a decent amount of space for student-generated content. However, photos, music and especially videos can quickly use up the remainder of the available storage. When purchasing a machine with a 128GB solid-state drive, you may want to consider augmenting the internal storage of the laptop with an external drive.

All incoming Slane College students are required to have Microsoft Office or equivalent software. This can be Microsoft Office 2011, a subscription to Microsoft Office 365, the bundled Apple applications (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote), or utilizing the Google Drive applications, which are included in their Bradley email account. While we recommend one of the Microsoft Office solutions, the Apple applications and Google Drive are available at no additional cost and may be worth consideration.

Individual courses for all majors may require additional software specific to the course.

Incoming students who change majors into an area of study within the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts will be held to the laptop requirements of the college.

Apple® laptops and software are available with educational discounts at the Bradley Apple Store:http://www.apple.com/edu/bradley. Software can also be purchased through a variety of online retailers that provide educational discounts. Proof of student status may be required to place an order for hardware or software. Laptops can be purchased from any source.

With proper documentation, the expense incurred to secure required technology may be added to a student’s total cost-of-attendance. This inclusion will enable expanded parent borrowing opportunities. Contact the Bradley University Financial Assistance office for further information at (309) 677-3089.

Software notes for Interactive Media majors and minors

All students who are either Interactive Media majors or minors are required to have the Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes all the software in the Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection. Membership in the Cloud also guarantees you will always have the latest version of the Adobe software. This software will be used throughout the entirety of the student’s college career in nearly every IM course. Often, students will use their software for out-of-class activities and assignments in other courses as well. Students taking additional courses in Interactive Media may have additional software requirements in future courses.

Interactive Media students are engaged in design and production software on a daily basis. As such, students are required to have a variety of additional software on their laptops beyond the Adobe Creative Suite. Though we attempt to find adequate software that is free for students, current job listings for both internships and entry-level positions often require or prefer industry standard software experience for prospective candidates. Therefore, we require students to have a balance of both freely available software and industry standard software. Software requirements vary between courses and faculty will inform students of software requirements on or before the first day of class when practical.

All students who are required or planning on taking IM 113 are required to have the Adobe Creative Cloud. You may opt to drop your Cloud subscription after taking the class or use a pre-paid card (see below).

Adobe Creative Cloud purchasing options

Students may sign up directly with Adobe for $29.99 per month. This is the best method for Interactive Media majors, Graphic Design majors or anyone else who plans to use the software for more than a year. Deals on 1-year pre-paid cards can sometimes be found at Journey Ed, Academic Superstore, Amazon, and B&H Photo-Video. Whether you choose a Cloud subscription or a pre-paid card, make sure you are getting the student edition, which is considerably less expensive.